William Troost Ekong: 3 Reasons Super Eagles Captain Deserves 2024 CAF POTY
- Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman is the leading favourite to win the 2024 CAF Men's Player of the Year
- The Super Eagles forward was nominated alongside national teammate and captain William Troost-Ekong
- The Al-Kholood defender won the AFCON 2023 Best Player and has a legitimate claim to the CAF POTY
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Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong is also in the running for the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men's Player of the Year, but the attention is on Ademola Lookman.
The Atalanta forward is expected to win the award after a brilliant season for Atalanta and Nigeria, reaching a final with both, winning with the club and losing with the country.
Source: Getty Images
Even though Lookman is the favourite, his captain and national teammate, Ekong, has an undeniable claim to the award.
Legit.ng looks at three reasons Ekong deserves the CAF Best Award.
Three reasons Ekong deserves CAF POTY
1. AFCON 2023 performance
Ekong turns up big at AFCONs and was named man of the match in at least one game in the 2019, 2021, and 2023 editions. AFCON 2023 was no exception, scoring three goals, two of which came against Ivory Coast in the group stage and final and the third in the semi-final against South Africa.
According to ESPN, he was one of the three Nigerians named in the team of the tournament. He was the competition’s most valuable player after helping Nigeria keep four clean sheets throughout the games. He also received the ANFA Award in recognition of his performances.
2. Leadership qualities and impact
Ekong was born in the Netherlands and switched his international allegiance to represent his father's country, Nigeria, in 2015. He rose to the rank of vice-captain at AFCON 2021 and has been the on-field captain due to Ahmed Musa’s limited role. He has also been praised for his exceptional leadership qualities.
His professionalism and communication skills were fully displayed during the Super Eagles’ 16-hour airport hostage ordeal in Libya during the AFCON 2025 qualifier match against the Mediterranean Knights last month.
3. Title-winning season in Greece
The 31-year-old joined Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki at the start of the 2023/24 season and helped the team win the Greece Super League, playing 22 games in all competitions and missing others through injury and international assignment.
As noted by Transfermarkt, he helped the team keep clean sheets in more than half of the games he played but left the club after one season to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Kholood.
Why Ekong chose Nigeria
Legit.ng reported that Ekong explained why he chose Nigeria over the Netherlands when the opportunity came to switch his international allegiance about 10 years ago.
The Harlem-born defender admitted that it was his only option, and the situations around the national team encouraged him to make the move, and he has enjoyed every moment.
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Source: Legit.ng
